New Music Friday: A roundup of December albums

Summary

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Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered — New Music Friday: A Roundup of December Albums

Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Stephen Thompson (NPR Music)

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Episode Overview

In this special “Lightning Round” edition of New Music Friday, Stephen Thompson takes listeners on a brisk tour of standout album releases from December—those that might have flown under the radar during the holiday break. This condensed episode highlights a range of genres, honoring both legendary acts and underappreciated gems. It’s a lively celebration of the music discovery spirit at the heart of All Songs Considered.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue

[00:51–01:28]

• Pink Floyd’s legendary album Wish You Were Here receives its latest deluxe box set reissue.
  • Includes fresh tracks, a new mix, and a hardcover book.
  • “If you’re into that sort of thing,” it’s a collector's dream and a fitting tribute to an iconic record.

Memorable Quote:

• "The music you're hearing is from an album that turned 50 this past and just got the latest of many deluxe reissues... even a hardcover book if you're into that sort of thing." – Stephen Thompson [00:51]

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2. Fred Again — USB2

[01:59–02:54]

• Fred Again’s new project, USB2, continues his evolving approach to album releases.
  • Part album, part playlist, part “data dump.”
  • Features collaborators like Danny Brown and Floating Points.
  • Continually updated; current runtime exceeds two hours.
• Suited for those seeking a sprawling, guest-packed electronic journey.

Memorable Quote:

• "If you're looking for a whopping dose of one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, Fred Again's new project is called USB2." – Stephen Thompson [02:47]

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3. This Is Lorelai — Holo Boy

[02:54–04:12]

• Nate Amos of Water from Your Eyes revisits and re-records his experimental solo material as This Is Lorelai.
  • Holo Boy is the sharp, charming result—poppy, far-reaching, and newly polished.
• The project turns Bandcamp sketches into a cohesive, rewarding album experience.

Memorable Quote:

• "What you really need to know is that these songs are sharp and polished, breezy and charming, poppy and sonically far reaching. It's a terrific record." – Stephen Thompson [03:33]

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4. Health — Rat Wars

[04:12–05:04]

• LA mainstays Health return with Conflict dlc (album referenced as sixth record).
  • Their signature: a fusion of industrial electronics and raw, crunchy metal.
  • On this record, there's an evident “willingness to let slivers of light and beauty stream in,” balancing grit and melody.

Memorable Quote:

• "Not only the band's grit and power, but also a willingness to let slivers of light and beauty stream in." – Stephen Thompson [04:28]

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5. Lightning Round of New & Noteworthy

[05:04–08:03]

Juliana Hatfield — Lightning Might Strike

• Alternative/indie icon since the ’80s, Hatfield continues her streak of underappreciated excellence.
• New album stays true to her legacy: "an underappreciated treasure." [05:27]

DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ — Fantasy

• London-based DJ releases a nearly 4-hour, 40-track house/dance music opus.
• “A charming swirl of nostalgia and euphoria,” blending ‘80s pop with throbbing house.

Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) — Marty Supreme Soundtrack

• Movie and score both released on Christmas Day.
• Lopatin’s tense, kinetic compositions (as heard on Uncut Gems) are once again in focus.
• The score is shortlisted for the Oscars.

Memorable Quote:

• "If you want to get lost in a dancefloor that exists only in your mind, then throw on some headphones and check out DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ and her new album Fantasy." – Stephen Thompson [05:56]
• "[Daniel Lopatin]... if you were extremely stressed out watching the movie Uncut Gems, Daniel Lopaton is a big reason why – now he’s done the score for the movie Marty Supreme." – Stephen Thompson [06:32]

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Notable Quotes and Timestamps

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |----------|-------------------|-------| | 00:51 | Stephen Thompson | "The music you're hearing is from an album that turned 50 this past and just got the latest of many deluxe reissues... even a hardcover book if you're into that sort of thing."| | 02:47 | Stephen Thompson | "If you're looking for a whopping dose of one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, Fred Again's new project is called USB2."| | 03:33 | Stephen Thompson | "What you really need to know is that these songs are sharp and polished, breezy and charming, poppy and sonically far reaching. It's a terrific record."| | 04:28 | Stephen Thompson | "Not only the band's grit and power, but also a willingness to let slivers of light and beauty stream in."| | 05:27 | Stephen Thompson | "She has been an underappreciated treasure. Juliana Hatfield's latest album dropped in mid December. It's called Lightning Might Strike."| | 05:56 | Stephen Thompson | "If you want to get lost in a dancefloor that exists only in your mind, then throw on some headphones and check out DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ and her new album Fantasy."| | 06:32 | Stephen Thompson | "[Daniel Lopatin]... if you were extremely stressed out watching the movie Uncut Gems, Daniel Lopaton is a big reason why – now he’s done the score for the movie Marty Supreme."|

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Final Thoughts

• Stephen closes by urging listeners to “go a little easier on yourself this year and treat yourself to lots of great music.”
• The episode delivers a punchy roundup, showcasing the diverse, evolving landscape of new music—with a nod to both enduring legends and bold new voices.

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Recommended Segments by Timestamp

• Pink Floyd reissue discussion: [00:51–01:28]
• Fred Again's USB2: [01:59–02:54]
• This Is Lorelai's Holo Boy: [02:54–04:12]
• Health's Conflict dlc: [04:12–05:04]
• Lightning Round (Hatfield, DJ Sabrina, Lopatin): [05:04–08:03]

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This episode serves as a quick yet rich primer on eclectic December releases, perfect for catching up on deserving music you may have missed during the holiday rush.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

Happy Friday, everyone, and Happy New Year from NPR Music. It's NEW MUSIC Friday. I'm your host, Stephen Thompson, and for today, January 2, we are doing a special short form Oops all, Lightning Round edition of New Music Friday. January 2nd isn't a big release date, but we also don't want to skimp on a few of the albums we missed in December when we weren't doing our normal episodes. So I'm just going to run through a few December titles that deserve our attention.

[Commercial Announcer]

Now.

[Stephen Thompson]

The music you're hearing is from an album that turned 50 this past and just got the latest of many deluxe reissues. Pink Floyd's Wish youh Were Here is now available as a box set with fresh tracks, a fancy new mix, and even a hardcover book if you're into that sort of thing.

[Singer/Lyricist]

Can you tell a green field.

[Stephen Thompson]

From.

[Singer/Lyricist]

A cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trail?

[Stephen Thompson]

As I said, we're going to do this episode lightning Round style. But before we get started for real, let's take a quick break.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Stephen Thompson]

It'S NEW Music Friday. I'm your host Stephen Thompson. Let's kick off this shorter than usual episode. So the DJ and producer known as Fred Again has been rolling out updates to his latest project. It's kind of an album, kind of a playlist and kind of a data dump. It's been updated multiple times, so it's ever evolving. Loads of guests pop up throughout, including Danny Brown and Floating Points, and the runtime currently stands at more than two hours. So if you're looking for a whopping dose of one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, Fred Again's new project is called USB2. Nate Amos is a singer songwriter who's won half of the band Water from youm Eyes, and for more than a decade he's been workshopping solo ideas using the name. This Is Lorelai. In 2024, this is Lorelai put out its first album and December brought a terrific follow up in which Nate Amos re recorded a bunch of songs he'd put on bandcamp over the years. If all that sounds a little convoluted, we what you really need to know is that these songs are sharp and polished, breezy and charming, poppy and sonically far reaching. It's a terrific record. This is Lorelai's new album is titled Holo Boy. That's H O L O. Yeah.

[Singer/Lyricist]

The days are long when you are not around. I can hear you calling so I drown it out Sometimes it hurts too much I don't want to sleep but you just woke me up.

[Stephen Thompson]

The LA band health has been around for more than 20 years now, and in that time they've constantly refined a sound that fuses industrial electronics with radio raw, crunchy metal. Listening to their new sixth record, you get a sense of not only the band's grit and power, but also a willingness to let slivers of light and beauty stream in. The new album by Health, which came out in December, is called Conflict dlc.

[Singer/Lyricist]

Follow your dream.

[Commercial Announcer]

Just keep.

[Stephen Thompson]

Now as I've said, we are making this an all Lightning round episode, but even a Lightning Round episode deserves its own lightning round, so here goes. Juliana Hatfield has been putting out great work since the late 1980s, first with Blake Babies, then the Lemonheads, then the Juliana Hatfield 3, then in a variety of other projects and the entire time she has been an underappreciated treasure. Juliana Hatfield's latest album dropped in mid December. It's called Lightning Might Strike.

[Singer/Lyricist]

Popsicle Chip Chip Pop. Popsicle.

[Stephen Thompson]

The London House Music DJ known as DJ Sabrina the teenage DJ just dropped a nearly 4 hour 40 track collection. Her songs are a charming swirl of nostalgia and euphoria, big and joyful with signifiers of 80s pop and throbbing house music. If you want to get lost in a dance floor that exists only in your mind, the throw on some headphones and check out DJ Sabrina the teenage DJ and her new album Fantasy. Finally, we are fully in the grips of awards season and the Oscars shortlisted dropped a couple weeks ago. One movie score that's been shortlisted and is worth checking out comes from Daniel Lopatin. He's also known as 1o tricks point never. If you're like me and you were extremely stressed out watching the movie Uncut Gems, Daniel Lopaton is a big reason why now he's done the score for the movie Marty Supreme. Both the movie and its score dropped on Christmas Day. That's our show for this week. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR Music is Saraya Muhammad. We'll be back next week to discuss new 2026 music with the great and good Celia Gregory of WNXP in Nashville. Until then, take a moment to be well. Resolve to go a little easier on yourself this year and treat yourself to lots of great music.

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